


In the Dark of Night

by Hallie_Blue



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 6x16 Spoilers, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Gen, Good Theo Raeken, M/M, Protective Theo Raeken, Sweet, Theo and Liam are in love but its all subtext, Theo and Liam are just shy of a mind-meld, Theo is soft, Theo just wants to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-21 11:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11942967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hallie_Blue/pseuds/Hallie_Blue
Summary: For this one brief moment, in the dark of the night, it’s so easy to pretend things are different.  For this one moment, after the sun’s settled below the horizon, they can pretend that they aren’t running on a year's worth of lingering, if not hesitant, respect left over from a moment they both deny even happened in the light of the day. For this one moment, they can use the cover of the night to abandon their history of animosity...so they do.





	In the Dark of Night

**Author's Note:**

> I know I should update all of the 3 parts of my "Drift Away, Sweet Vagabond" series but this idea of Theo and Liam just being adorable in the car was too good to pass up.
> 
> It was so obvious in 6x16 that Theo knows Liam really well and Liam probably knows Theo just a deeply and I got inspired so here we are. A little one off of Theo and Liam nearly having a mind meld.

For this one brief moment, in the dark of the night, it’s so easy to pretend things are different.  For this one moment, after the sun’s settled below the horizon, they can pretend that they aren’t running on a year's worth of lingering, if not hesitant, respect left over from a moment they both deny even happened in the light of the day. For this one moment, they can use the cover of the night to abandon their history of animosity...so they do. 

 

Theo offers him words of comfort. They’re gentle and full of genuine kindness and respect and are spoken almost softly. Liam likes the way it sounds: the way Theo’s voice is like gravel as he talks low and careful, leaving the usual bravado and pride behind for once. 

 

He’s putting less effort into being nice than he ever has into being the enemy but it seems to come twice as naturally right this moment. In this one weird moment of camaraderie, Liam can see clear as day, Theo wants little more than to survive this war that the pack have essentially dragged him into against his will. It’s strange but in this moment he can actually believe that Theo has no intent to betray them now. Hell really did change him. It’s a shame that Liam is the only one who Theo allows to see it.

 

Theo’s found a sense of purpose he hadn’t known he’d needed in the form of an sixteen year old lacrosse playing history buff. Some sort of tether to reality and morality and all sorts of other things Theo never really tried to hold on to before. Mostly because he had never had a chance or reason to really want to. 

 

_ An Anchor,  _ he tries his best not to think the words, but does anyway. In this moment, Theo knows Liam needs him too, even if he won’t, or can’t, or maybe even doesn’t know how to admit it. He glances briefly over its less than a millisecond but he notices that Liam has stopped rubbing his jaw where Theo’d knocked him out those five times and has taken to rubbing his thumb across one of the bullet holes in the upholstery of Theo’s shot-to-Hell Tacoma instead.

 

Liam isn’t stupid, so he can’t say he doesn’t understand what happened to Theo’s truck. Monroe happened. Hunters had happened. The smell of Theo’s blood and the bleach used to wash it away sticks to the upholstery it smells stale. Days old already. If Liam didn't know that Theo was alive and sitting next to him, he'd assume Theo was already dead, that there would be no point in trying to find him.  

 

_ Yep, _ Theo thinks as they enjoy the sweet ability to pretend that comes with the lack of daybreak’s spotlight and wait for a call from the pack that Theo has a bad feeling isn't coming,  _ in the dark of night, it's easy to pretend we’re just people.  _

 

Theo finds himself smiling again, despite the absolute nightmare their lives have become. It's a smile only Liam knows how to draw out of him these days in these moments between just them where they don't have an image to upkeep. Theo hasn't smiled like this since they faced off against the Ghost Riders and Liam road headlong into danger on the back of a supernatural horse he had no idea how to ride...because that's just what Liam does: run head first into certain death with a plan to make a plan and a whole lot of blind faith that the McCall Pack will always come out on top. 

 

It’s a dangerous way to think in a time of war. But so is Theo's at the moment. Liam can tell Theo’s thoughts far away from where they are physically right now, which is dangerous for more reasons than just the fact that he's the one behind the steering wheel of the Tacoma. 

 

_ We're at war. _ Liam has been trying to deny it but can't any more. He just nearly killed a former classmate with his bare hands. He would have actually done it if Theo hadn't been there to knock him out. He gives a glance in Theo's direction. His whole posture is lacking the usual tension. Unencumbered with the burden of whatever he's usually worried about. The calm suits him, Liam decides. Even if being calm could get them killed right now.

 

Theo’s mind is drifting into the dangerous realm of _what if_ s and _maybe_ s and _almost_ s. In this moment, in a Toyota Tacoma filled with bullet holes that Theo still hasn't gotten all the broken glass out of yet despite having managed to replace the windows (thanks Argent), Theo dares to imagine a different version of reality. 

 

One where Liam didn't have to hide instead of attending his senior year of high school. One where Theo could actually get a part time job and maybe save up enough cash to get a shitty little apartment somewhere. One where Liam gets that lacrosse scholarship he was chasing but probably won't get any more. One where Theo and Liam's only history is attending the same high school for a year. One where Theo isn't a murderer. One where moments like this one, moments where they don't have to be enemies, are the only moments to exist between them. In other words, he imagines the impossible. 

 

Liam looks at his phone. Grimacing as the calm ends and Theo grows stiff again. Tensing back into the paranoia Liam was just starting to appreciate the lack of...“Scott texted. The McCall’s house was attacked and the weapons were distributed to everyone in Beacon Hills free of charge before the Pack got there to destroy them. Someone was shot. Scott won't say who.” 

  
  
“Damn it.” Liam can't help but to agree. It had been a nice moment, where they could put the hostility and history aside under the cover of the night, but that's all it was: a single, passing moment. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I really love season 6b and it makes me remember why I love Teen Wolf and I'm really going to miss it so much when it's over...
> 
>  
> 
> There was initially a rant here about how the timeline of 6b made no sense but someone was kind enough to inform me that it was explained why Liam and Corey and Mason were seniors when the pack are still 18 is because Momma Martin decided to have the pack skip a grade to get them out of town faster and away to somewhere safe.


End file.
